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Enable the full keyboard (standard keyboard layout) in the touch keyboard of Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 (and its equivalent Windows RT edition) includes a touch keyboard for computers and tablets with a touch screen. When you touch any text field on your tablet, the touch keyboard appears on the screen. If you don't have a touch screen, then you have two options to run it. By default, it appears with a limited set of keys and lacks Function keys, Alt, Tab and Esc keys. In this article, we will look how to enable those missing keys in the touch keyboard, and, as a bonus, we will look for two possible ways to launch the touch keyboard.

If you are the lucky owner of a touch screen, then Windows 8.1 will show you the advanced options of the touch keyboard in PC Settings -> PC and Devices -> Input. Go there and enable the following option: Add the standard keyboard layout as a touch keyboard option. Turn the slider to the "on" position as shown in the picture below:

Voila, now open your touch keyboard and click its options (the bottom right bottom). You will get the standard layout button enabled:

This will enable all advanced buttons including Esc, Alt and Tab. To use a Function key, tap the Fn button at the bottom left corner of the touch keyboard. The numeric buttons will change their captions to F1-F12:

How to enable the standard keyboard layout of the touch keyboard without a touch screen

If you do not have a touch screen, then Windows 8.1 will hide all advanced settings of the touch keyboard:

So, you cannot use PC settings to enable the standard keyboard layout of the touch keyboard without a touch screen. The only way for you is a registry tweak.

About Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer from Russia who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

I dont know which idiot in microsoft wanted to change screen keyboard in windows 8, but thank you so much. they even hid the normal keyboard look, unbelievable. numbers are on another page, there are even many characters missing in their simplified bullshit, like wtf

Thank you so much for this! I really had a hard time using my tablet since my keyboard dock stopped working. I used to have this standard touch keyboard but I wondered why it had been disabled. Now, I am able to use it again! Thank you so much!